Roller support for a potato grading device



Dec. 20, 1966 E. A. ERNST 3,292,784

7 ROLLER SUPPORT FOR A POTATO GRADING DEVICE Filed July so, 1965 mvEkroR424 A [EA/.97

ATTaEA/EY United, States Patent f 3,292,784 ROLLER SUPPORT FOR A POTATOGRADING DEVICE Earl A. Ernst, 2121 s. Union, Bakersfield, Calif. 93307Filed July 30, 1965, Ser. No. 475,950 Claims. (Cl. 209-106 Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my c0- pending applicationentitled a Potato Grading Device filed March 19, 1962 under Serial No.180,783, now Patent No. 3,207,309, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of an application filed November 12, 1957 underSerial No. 695,926 entitled Device for Sorting Potatoes or the LikeAccording to Size, now abandoned.

The present invention relates generally to sorting devices, and moreparticularly to an improved roller support therefor that permits thesorting rollers of the device to be brought closer together than hasheretofore been possible.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedroller support assembly for a sorting or grading device which permitscloser positioning of the rollers for grading potatoes and other ovoidor ball-like farm produce according to size.

Another object of the invention is to furnish an improved roller supportassembly that can be associated with a power-driven endless conveyorbelt to automatically sort farm produce such as potatoes according tosize during the time they are being conveyed on said belt, which rollersupport assemblies permit the sorting of the produce to a greater rangeof sizes than has heretofore been possible.

These and other objects and advantages of the improved roller supportassembly will become apparent from the following description thereof,and from the accompanying drawing illustrating same, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pair of transversely aligned rollersupports removably affixed to two endless driven chain belts;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the roller supports as they moverelative to an elongate cam; and

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the roller supports mounted on aframework of a potato grading device.

With continuing reference to the drawing for the general arrangement ofthe roller supports shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2 which are the subjectmatter of the present application, it will be seen that they are movablysup.

ported on a framework A of the type illustrated in FIG- URE 3. Theframework A is illustrated and described in detail in said applicationSerial No. 180,783., and includes four uprights B situated at thecorners thereof. Two of the uprights B which are transversely aligned asa pair are shown in FIGURE 3. The upper ends of each pair of uprights Bare connected by transverse frame members D. The upper ends of theuprights B are also connected by longitudinally extending frame membersE. The elements disclosed in the drawing filed herein that are common tothose of the grading device disclosed and claimed in said applicationSerial No. 180,783 are identified by the same numerals or letters asused in said previous application.

Framework A supports two upper, parallel, longitudinally extending railsF and two rails G that are in vertical alignment.

A conveyor M is provided, as shown in FIGURE 3, that includes a numberof transversely positioned, longitudinally spaced rollers N which may bemoved towards or away from one another to provide transverse spaces 0therebetween by use of the roller supports P shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.The roller supports P are moved longitudinally relative to the frameworkA by two end- 3,292,784 Patented Dec. 20, 1966 less link belts S thatare positioned on opposite longitudinal sides of the framework. Each ofthe belts S engages a driving sprocket and a driven sprocket (not shown)but which are described and illustrated in said application Serial No.180,783.

Each longitudinal side of the framework A is provided with at least oneelongate cam 30 that is angularly adjustable relative thereto, and eachof these cams is pivotally connected by a pin 30b to a first elongatecam extension 40 that extends upwardly and to the left as illustrated inFIGURE 2. The left-hand end of each extension 40 is pivotally supportedfrom framework A by conventional means (not shown). The right-hand endsof cam 30 are pivotally connected to the right-hand ends of extensions(not shown) identical to extension 40, or other cams (not shown), byconventional means (not shown). The endto-end arrangement of a number ofelongate cams 30 which are in angularly movable relationship, is shownand described in detail in said application Serial No. 180,783.

Longitudinally spaced pins 54 extend through the end portions of eachcam 30 and engage the lower bifurcated end of vertically movable members56 of square or rectangular cross section. Each member 56 is slidablymovable in a vertical guide 58, as may best be seen in FIG- URE 3. Atapped recess 60 extends downwardly in each member 56 and is engaged bya threaded shaft 62, on the upper end of which a gear 64 is mounted.

A housing 66 is mounted on the upper end of framework A, which rotatablysupports a transversely extending shaft 68. A gear 70 is mounted onshaft 68 that engages gear 64. When shaft 68 is manually rotated bymeans of a wheel-shaped handle 72, the shaft 62 rotates relative to therecess 60, which causes support 56 on the righthand side of framework A(FIGURE 3) to move upwardly or downwardly asdesired. When rotated, shaft68 actuates an assembly identical to that above described situated overcam 30 on the left-hand side of framework A, also shown in FIGURE 3.Thus, the two earns 30 are angularly adjusted on the framework A byrotation of handle 72.

The two endless belts S are structurally identical, and each beltincludes a number of links 94 in end-to-end relationship which arepivotally connected by pins 96. Each link 94 includes two parallel,laterally spaced side plates 98, and the side plates of one link overlapthe side plates of the link next adjacent thereto. The roller supports Pare supported on the belts S at desired longitudinally spaced intervalson the belts by removing two links 94 and replacing them with twotransversely spaced inverted T-shaped plates 100. The ends of each plate98 are pivotally connected to two pins 96, as may be seen in FIGURE 1.

A leg 102 extends upwardly from each plate 100, and a pair of spaced,transverse bores (not shown) are formed in the upper portions thereof.Bolts 104, or other elongate fastening means, project through thesebores and bores 106 aligned therewith formed in the lower portion of oneof the roller supports P. That portion of the roller support P in whichthe bores 106 are formed is provided with laterally spaced, parallelside walls. After projecting through bores 106, the bolts 104 passthrough bores (not shown) formed in a second plate 100. A nut 107 ismounted on each bolt 104 to hold two of the plates in the parallelrelationship shown in FIGURE 1. Each plate 100 is preferably twice thelength of the side plate 98 it replaces.

The roller supports P, which are preferably cast from a rigid materialas an integral unit, each include a rearwardly extending elongate nose109 located adjacent to a longitudinal portion of the belt S andoverlies the same. Although the roller supports P are of the samegeneral tructure, each pair thereof, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, omprises a left-hand one and a right-hand one. Transersely aligned bosses 111are formed on the forward anerportions of each pair of roller supportsP. The nds of each shaft 108 are held in two of the bosses 111 y twoscrews 111a which engage tapped bores formed,

Lre rotatably supported. The shafts 114 can, if desired,

)e bolts that are threaded into transverse tapped bores :not shown)formed in the legs 115.

Each of the rollers N is preferably provided with ball Jearingassemblies (not shown) on the ends thereof that 'otatably engage one ofthe shafts 108. Rings 120 are 1180 provided on the ends of each roller Nwhich are rdapted to rotatably engage the rails F and G as the belts 3are rotated.

It will be seen in FIGURES l and 2 that the roller ;upports P projectupwardly from the belts S, and as the lpper reaches of the belts movefrom left to right, the rollers 112 initially contact the first camextensions 40 to thereafter start to pivot the roller supports P in a:ounterclockwise direction. The roller supports P so pivot, thelongitudinal spacing between adjacent roller supports is shortened, withconcurrent shortening of the spaces between the rollers N during thetime the rollers 112 are in contact with the under surfaces of the cams30. Spaces 0 can, of course, be widened by rotating the handle 72 toplace the cams 30 at a higher elevation above rails F. However, when itis desired to decrease the width of spaces 0, the handle 72 is rotatedin an opposite direction to cause the cams 30 to move downwardly to aposition where the lower edges thereof are closer to the top surfaces ofthe upper rails F.

The use and operation of the invention previously described are the sameas that of the potato grader disclosed in my co-pending applicationSerial No. 180,783, and therefore need not be repeated herein.

The present device provides several advantages over the one disclosed insaid application Serial No. 180,783. First, the T-shapedplates 100 servea dual function, for they not only maintain the roller supports P atfixed longitudinal intervals on the belts S, but in so doing serve todefine portions of the belts. Also, the plates 100 take the entirepulling strain during the time the belts S are power driven, whichminimizes the maintenance attention required on the present device. Thelegs 115, as can best be seen in FIGURES 1-3 inclusive, are outwardlyoff-set from the rollers 112 of the roller supports P forwardly andrearwardly disposed relative thereto. Thus, each of the roller supportsP can be pivoted in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2until the leg portion 115b contacts one of the flanges 115a. Maximumpivotal movement of the roller supports P is accordingly attainable, anda closer spacing of the rollers N is possible over the device disclosedin my application Serial No. 180,783.

Although the present invention is fully capable of achieving the objectsand providing the advantages here- 4 inbefore mentioned, it is to beunderstood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferredembodiment thereof and I do not mean to be limited to the details ofconstruction herein shown and described, other than as dey fined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A roller spacing control member for use on a machine for gradingarticles by size which includes two parallel, power-driven, endlesschain link belts having a plurality of transversely positioned,longitudinally spaced shafts extending therebetween, on which elongatesizing rollers are mounted, which control member comprises:

(a) a cast metallic body that is partially defined by two laterallyspaced parallel side walls, a boss projecting from the inner one of saidside walls, and serving to support an end portion of one of said shafts,an angularly offset portion extending away from said boss, a curved legwhich projects away from the extremity of said offset portion mostremote from said boss, and a flange on said leg positioned in adirection normal to the longitudinal axis thereof;

(b) a stub shaft that projects from said leg in the same direction asthat of said boss; and

(c) a roller rotatably supported on said stub shaft.

2. A control member as defined in claim 1, wherein that portion of saidbody defined by said two parallel side walls is of such shape as toprovide a rearwardly extending nose that is engaged by a portion of oneof said belts when said body is pivoted rearwardly relative thereto.

3. A control member as defined in claim 1, which further includes:

(d) means for holding said body on one of said endless belts withoutsubjecting said body to any appreciable pulling strain during the timesaid belt on which it-is mounted is power rotated.

4. A control member as defined in claim 1, having a plurality oftransverse bores extending through that portion thereof defined by saidspaced parallel side walls, and said control member further includes:

(d) two parallel laterally spaced plates of inverted T-shape, theupwardly extending legs of which are in abutting contact with saidparallel side walls of said body, and in which legs of a plurality ofopenings are formed that are in alignment with said transverse bores insaid body;

(e) a plurality of elongate fasteners extending through said bores andopenings to secure said body to said plates; and

(f) means for pivotally connecting opposite ends of the lower portion ofsaid plates to two longitudinally spaced links forming a part of one ofsaid belts.

5. A control member as defined in claim 4, wherein said means comprisetwo pins that engage said links and extend through transversely alignedopenings formed in the lower portion of said plates.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,645,342 7/ 1953Roberts 209102 2,860,779 ll/ 1958 Lindeman 20984 3,038,605 6/ 1962Durand 209-102 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

1. A ROLLER SPACING CONTROL MEMBER FOR USE ON A MACHINE FOR GRADINGARTICLES BY SIZE WHICH INCLUDES TWO PARALLEL, POWER-DRIVEN, ENDLESSCHAIN LINK BELTS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY POSITIONED,LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SHAFTS EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN, ON WHICH ELONGATESIZING ROLLERS ARE MOUNTED, WHICH CONTROL MEMBER COMPRISES: (A) A CASTMETALLIC BODY THAT IS PARTIALLY DEFINED BY TWO LATERALLY SPACED PARALLELSIDE WALLS, A BOSS PROJECTING FROM THE INNER ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS, ANDSERVING TO SUPPORT AN END PORTION OF ONE OF SAID SHAFTS, AN ANGULARLYOFFSET PORTION EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID BOSS, A CURVED LEG WHICHPROJECTS AWAY FROM THE EXTREMITY OF SAID OFFSET PORTION MOST REMOTE FROMSAID BOSS, AND A FLANGE ON SAID LEG POSITIONED IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TOTHE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF;